Heartbreak for Traitors winner Rachel Duffy as she announces her mother has died just days after revealing she planned to spend prize money on her

Traitors winner Rachel Duffy has announced the death of her mother, on whom she plans to spend the prize money.

Rachel, who won the final series of the BBC show alongside villainous Stephen Duffy on Friday, shared the sad news on Instagram on Tuesday morning.

‘We are heartbroken to share the passing of our beautiful little mother. “We ask for privacy as our family suffers during this difficult time,” he wrote.

Mother-of-three Rachel, from Newry in Northern Ireland, spoke frequently during her time on the show about her 70-year-old mother Anne, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and later dementia in her forties.

Rachel revealed that she would spend the prize money on making memories with her mother.

He said: ‘My mother was only 47 when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, four years older than me and facing dementia, but she still surprises me and my family every day.’

Rachel announced on the show that she would spend her Traitors prize money to make memories with her 70-year-old mother Anne, who has dementia.

‘I want to create memories with her while I’m lucky enough to have her, and I want to create memories with my children because they love their nannies.’

In a touching photo shared during the show, Anne was seen proudly holding a T-shirt with the words ‘My daughter is a traitor’ written on the front.

On Friday the 43-year-old became the first woman to win a Traitor series in the UK, sharing the victory and the £95,750 jackpot with partner-in-crime Stephen Libby.

During the finale, she revealed that she was taking part for Anne, who was a huge fan of the show and gave clear advice to Rachel’s daughter not to ‘get caught’.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, a day after the finale aired, Rachel revealed she had yet to spend her prize money and had to make plans with her mum and husband.

‘I think I’ll sit down with the kids, my husband and my mom and think about what we can do to have fun together,’ she said.

Giving an update on her mother, Rachel said: ‘It’s a difficult thing because the series was recorded in May, so at that time her condition wasn’t as severe as it is now, so she’s not fit to travel as much.

‘We’re trying to do something closer to home, so I sit in front of her and say, ‘Mom, what do you want to do, what can we do that you’ll love?’ I can’t wait to say. God only knows what he’ll say, but I can’t wait.’

Mother-of-three Rachel, from Newry in Northern Ireland, often talked about her 70-year-old mother Anne, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in her forties, while on the programme.

Speaking on the programme, Rachel said: ‘While I’m lucky enough to have her, I just want to make memories with her and make memories with my children because they love their nanny.’

Rachel was in London last week for interviews about the Traitors’ victory; Pictured on Saturday

On Friday, the 43-year-old became the first woman to win a Traitor series in England, sharing the victory and the £95,750 prize with partner in crime Stephen Libby.

Rachel also lost her beloved father, Raymond Mullen, in 2016 at the age of 67. Her Facebook profile picture is a photo of her walking down the aisle on her wedding day.

The couple were extremely close and she was devastated when he died. His older brother is Darren Mullen, who is the manager of Newry City football club, and he also has two brothers, Neil and Shane, and a sister, Joanne.

The communications director has been branded as one of the show’s best actors so far and has been praised for her ability to win many friends among the Loyalists.

And Rachel has made no secret of the fact that she wants to win the show.

The four months of FBI online training he endured helped that goal, or so he told his fellow contestants in the castle.

She revealed she attended last Friday’s show because of Anne, who is a huge fan of the show and has clear advice for Rachel’s daughter: ‘Don’t get caught.’

Giving an update on her mother on Saturday, Rachel said: ‘It’s a difficult thing because the series was recorded in May so her condition wasn’t as severe then as it is now.’

‘I was trained by a former FBI agent, so I attended one of his training courses but I lied.

“I had told the guys at the castle that it was a four-month online course, but it was more like a one-day course and an e-book, but I did it anyway, I was very loose with the wording and it helped because it gave me something I could put away in my back pocket,” Rachel explained.

He added: ‘It made everyone giggle. I mean, like online memes are hilarious. But no, I’m not quitting my job and joining the FBI anytime soon!’